Waterfalls Ride

I really want to get back to my April vacation and share all of those pictures from Route 66, several Illinois State Parks, Joliet, Pontiac and a dozen other places. But since I still have not even finished editing those nearly 700 pictures, I feel I should at least clean up where I can.

Thus you get to see more pictures from the ride Hubby and I took up north last week. Since it is still Spring here in the Northwoods, I thought some of the easily accessible waterfalls would be worth the trip. Turns out, I was right. 

I’ve been to Potato Falls four times in my adult life. As a kid it probably came close to that, but I can’t remember all the random rides my parents took us on, and since I didn’t have a camera, I have no record. 

But back to my present life. Of the four most recent stops, there have only been other people there one other time. It’s not that far off the beaten path. And not even that bad a hike to the bottom. And since there is a beautiful upper falls and breathtaking lower falls, well, all I can say is that it is everybody else’s loss and my gain because I rather be there alone with Hubby and Dino anyway. 

Not too far down the road is Copper Falls State Park. About as far off the beaten path at Potato Falls, but because it is a state park, it was crawling with people. Ok, not really, there were two other couples and an entire full-size van of an extended Mennonite family. Also, a big sign near the trailhead – “No Dogs Allowed”. I was ready to get back in the car, demand a refund of my $28 annual state park pass and just go home. Hubby talked some sense into me and he stayed in the “dogs allowed” area while I power-walked the 1.7 mile loop to Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls. 

I even jogged part of the trail just so Himey wasn’t left behind for long. We didn’t check the time, but I was back to the car some 40 minutes, 75 stairs and 60 pictures later. 

Last up was enchanting Morgan Falls. The last, and I believe only, time I was there was in the fall of 2000, when Hubby and I took my son Nick along on the ride and we conveniently and surely totally accidentally met up with his best friend and his family who just happened to be camping in the area and decided to hike to Morgan Falls and the top of St. Peter’s Dome that day as well. 

That fall day however, Morgan Falls wasn’t more than a trickle. This time of year it spilled and splashed into the creek below. 

Though there were two cars in the parking lot, we didn’t run into anyone, except half-way back to our car when we met up with an elderly couple. The woman was already huffing and puffing on the total even ground and they asked if we thought they could make it. What could we say? I lied and said, “Oh, it’s not much farther. You can make it.” Fine medical professional I am. I was tempted to wait at the car to see if they came back out, but there were now more people in the parking lot getting ready for the hike. I suppose I could have asked them to watch out for the old couple and maybe check to see if any of them knew CPR.